Educational Science

Levitate Me: Water Droplets Dance, Defy Gravity (Video)

Wanna make a water droplet dance? Turns out all you need is a pair of opposing ultrasonic speakers. Called acoustic levitation, this technique holds droplets of water against gravity using ultrasonic waves. While this process has been done before, a team of scientists took the experiment a step further and...

The Hunt for Elusive Gravity Waves Heats Up

In the next five years or so, scientists are poised to discover proof that space and time can wrinkle in the form of gravitational waves. These waves were predicted almost 100 years ago by Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity, but have yet to be seen. That could change soon...

A fundamental constant that sets the size of the gravitational force between all objects has finally been pinned down using the quirky quantum behavior of tiny atoms. The new results could help set the official value of the gravitational constant, and may even help scientists find evidence of extra space-time...

Gravitational Waves vs. Gravity Waves: Know the Difference!

So it looks like we'll be talking a lot about gravitational waves over the coming days, but why can't they be called gravity waves? In this social media world where brevity is key, it may seem that chopping gravitational to gravity is no big deal — it saves a whole...

What Gravitational Ripples from Big Bang Mean for Physics

The discovery of ripples in space-time from the mysterious earliest moments after the Big Bang is not only a smoking gun for the universe's rapid expansion but also could have important implications for physics. If the landmark finding of these gravitational waves, announced Monday (March 17), is confirmed, it would...

Scientists Report Evidence for Gravitational Waves in Early Universe

In what would represent the most direct evidence of Albert Einstein’s last major unconfirmed prediction, as well as a powerful confirmation of a violently fast expansion of the early cosmos, scientists using a cutting-edge South Pole telescope announced evidence for the first detection of gravitational waves in the initial moments...

Quantum Mechanics Trick May Detect Invisible Gravity Waves

The existence of gravitational waves, or ripples in space and time, has long been predicted, but the elusive phenomenon has eluded scientists for decades. Now researchers are proposing a new method to detect these cosmic wrinkles that relies on the quantum nature of atoms. Gravitational waves are a consequence of...

An End in Sight in the Long Search for Gravity Waves (Op-Ed)

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Our unfolding understanding of the universe is marked by epic searches and we are now on the brink of discovering something that has escaped detection for many years. The...

How Harry Potter Magic Turned Gravity into Oscar Gold (Op-Ed)

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. The huge success of Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity at this year’s Oscars is a genuine cause for celebration for much of the UK film industry – not least for the...

Sex in Space: Plant Canoodling Is Weird Without Gravity

A real-time look at plant sex in an environment simulating microgravity reveals that agriculture in space might face challenges. The study also illuminates how gravity works on intercellular transport, a crucial process for mating plants and communicating human brain cells alike. There's no word yet, however, on how human sex...